Internal combustion turbine

ABSTRACT

An internal combustion turbine comprising a stator with at least one peripheral combustion chamber and a rotor with peripherally mounted and internally extending driving blades or vanes and air compression blades arranged respectively in two transversely offset arrays of one or more groups in line, the two offset arrays being interiorly separated by a center web. The rotor is mounted for rotation in the stator and as it turns the air compression blades and the driving blades sequentially pass under the stator combustion chamber, the compression blades drawing in air from one side of said center web of the rotor and the driving blades exhausting on the other side of said web. A fuel supply system and an ignition system cooperate to inject fuel into the combustion chamber just after the air compression blades have passed under it and compressing air therein, and to provide a spark to ignite the fuel just as the driving blades begin to pass under the combustion chamber, the products of the ignited fuel pushing against the driving blades to drive the rotor in rotation.

United States Patent Toye [451 Mar. 21, 1972 [54] INTERNAL COMBUSTION TURBINE 72 Inventor: William J. Toye, 3201 Saint Charles Ave., 11: Newman New Orleans, La. 70115 y 22 Filed: Apr. 6, 1970 ABSTRACT 21 Appl, 25,706 An internal combustion turbine comprising a stator with at least one peripheral combustion chamber and a rotor with peripherally mounted and internally extending driving blades [52] US. Cl ..60/39.43, 60/3938, 60/39.6l or vanes d ir m ression blades arranged respectively in 60/3951 60/39-73 two transversely offset arrays of one or more groups in line, Int. the two offset arrays being interiorly separated a center Field 07 Search web. The rotor is mounted for rotation in the stator and as it 39-43 turns the air compression blades and the driving blades sequentially pass under the stator combustion chamber, the 1 i R l l' Cited compression blades drawing in air from one side of said center web of the rotor and the driving blades exhausting on the UNITED STATES PATENTS other side of said web. A fuel supply system and an ignition 1,339,730 5 1920 Williams ..60/39.43 System COOPgrate inject fuel cmbustin chamber 1,193,251 8/1916 Foxgordmn who/3961 just after the air compression blades have passed under it and 550,742 12/1895 Campbell." "um/3938 compressing air therein, and to provide a spark to ignite the 2 694 29] 11/1954 Rosengart ..60/39.43 fuel just as the dnvmg blades begm pass under the bustion chamber, the products of the ignited fuel pushing FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIQNS against the driving blades to drive the rotor in rotation.

337,092 10/1930 Great Britain ..60/39.78 1 Claims, 11 Drawing Figures PATENTEUMARZI I972 Fig. 1

INVENTOR. WILLIAM J. TOYE ATTORNEY PATENTEBHAR 2 1 I972 SHEET 2 BF 4 INVENTOR. WILLIAM J.

TOYE

fiiyh ATTORNEY PATENTEUMARH 1972 3,650,105

sum 3 0F 4 INVENTOR. WILLIAM J. TOYE I BW ifl ATTORNEY PATENTEDMARZI lava 3,650,105

sum u 0F 4 INVENTOR WILLIAM J. TOYE.

r BY W ATTORNEY INTERNAL COMBUSTION TURBINE The invention relates generally to gas turbines and more particularly to internal combustion gas turbines.

Heretofore internal combustion engines have comprised cylinders in which pistons are reciprocated by the force of explosions in the cylinders. Gas turbines have comprised axially mounted and radially extending driving blades arranged in groups, the blades of a group being equal but progressively increasing in the groups, and the gas directed axially therethrough.

It is an object of the invention to provide an engine having the advantages of both the internal combustion reciprocating engine and the gas turbine.

Another object of the invention is to provide a gas turbine in which the energy of the gas is peripherally applied a maximum distance from the center of rotation to provide a maximum torque for the applied energy.

Another object of the invention is to provide a gas turbine with a minimum axial dimension, and that can be operated in any position.

Other objects and a fuller understanding of the invention may be had by referring to the following description, claims and drawings, in which:

FIG. I is a perspective view of the stator part of the invention,

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the rotor part of the invention,

FIG. 3 is a sectional side elevation of the rotor mounted for rotation in the stator,

FIG. 4 is a vertical cross section of the operationally joined rotor and stator taken along section lines 4-4 of FIG. 3,

FIG. 5 is an enlarged partial plan view of a combustion chamber showing the fuel and ignition mechanisms,

FIG. 6 is a partial section view taken along sectional lines 6-6 of FIG. 5,

FIG. 7 is a sectional view taken along section lines 7-7 of FIG. 5,

FIG. 8 is a sectional view taken along sectional line 8-8 of FIG. 5,

FIG. 9 is a sectional view taken along section line 99 of FIG. 5,

FIG. 10 is an enlarged perspective view of parts shown in two dimensions in FIGS. 4 and 5, and

FIG. 11 is a view of part of the fuel control system of the invention.

Referring to FIGS. 1-4 the invention comprises an annular stator and-a cylindrical rotor 21 that are shown separately and in perspective in FIGS. 1 and 2, and together in vertical cross section in FIGS. 3 and 4. The stator may define any convenient number of combustion chambers peripherally spaced around its circumference. For the purposes of this disclosure, four combustion chambers 22-25 are illustrated but as they are all the same only one will be described structurally and functionally. They are spaced apart equally and it is understood that any convenient number could be used in the stator, the smoothness of operation increasing with the number. Cross-members 26 form one side of the stator and define a center thrust box 28 and journal 29.

The rotor 22 fits rotationally within the stator 20 and comprises a short cylinder 30 having a center web32 into which is keyed a center drive shaft 34. A drive gear is rigidly fixed to the outer end of the drive shaft by shoulder 38 and nut 40 and serves the dual purpose of transmitting power and securing the rotor in the stator.

The wall of the cylinder 30 is perforated on both sides of the center web 32 to define a double line of holes 42 and 44 respectively. The number of holes on each side of the web is the same and is more or less than the number of combustion chambers, in this case five each or one more than the the number of combustion chambers, and are equally spaced around the cylinder walls and in line respectively, but with holes 42 of one line staggered peripherally with respect to the holes 44 of the other line. A plurality of driving blades or vanes 46 are mounted in the holes 42 and extend inwardly and oppositely to the direction of rotor rotation. Because the forces of combustion of each combustion chamber is exercised on only one set of driving blades at a time, the leading blades of each set is longer and the following blades of a set grow progressively shorter in inverse proportion to the length of time from maximum pressure in a chamber until the time each blade reaches the leading edge of said chamber. The last and shortest bladeacts in cooperation with the next leading. air compression blade as a scavenger in the last half of its passage under said combustion chamber. A plurality of straight air compression vanes or blades 48 are mounted in holes 44 and extend inwardly and in the direction of rotation. Vanes 48 are all of the same size, and this side of the web 32 acts as a squirrel cage blower to compress air in the combustion chambers prior to combustion. Two further features of the rotor comprise short grooves 50 (see FIGS. 2 and 5), one for each set of air vanes, channeled in the outer surface of the cylinder 30 outboard of the holes 44 and approximately in line with the leading edge of each hole 42 for engaging a cam roller 52 (see FIG. 5); and cam surfaces 54, one for each set of driving blades, in extension of the cylinder wall outwardly and approximately between the adjacent ends of contiguous holes 44.

Referring to FIGS. 5 and 6 a fuel system 56 is positioned and secured in and by one side of each combustion chamber, and an ignition system 58 is positioned and secured in and by the other side. 1 The fuel system 56 comprises a fuel line 60 mounted on a side of the stator, an accelerator or throttle ring 62 (see FIG. 11) slidably mounted on the driving blade side of the stator 20 for rotation of a few degrees of arc in both directions of rotation by means of manual movement of the tab 63, a fuel nozzle 64 mounted in said combustion chamber, and a control linkage 65 operably connecting said throttle ring and fuel nozzle (see FIGS. 8,9-10 and 4). There are four equally spaced apart radial projection 66 formed on said ring. The control linkage 65 comprises a spring-biased rod 68 having a cam roller 70 on the outboard end for engaging cam surface 54 of the rotor. The rod is mounted transversely and slidable on said stator in response to said cam action. A strap 72 defines a slot 74 near an end and is flexibly connected to rod 68 by a pin 76 engaging in said slot 74 and fixed in rod 68. The other end of said strap is pivotally attached to an end of an L-shaped rigid link 78 transversely and slidably mounted on said stator intermediate rod 68 and the combustion chamber adjacent thereto. A yoke 80'is rigidly fixed to each of the radial projections 66 of the ring 62 and is pivoted to strap 72 to act as a fulcrum as the slotted end of said strap is moved transversely by cam action of cam 70 and cam surface 54 and transversely moves link 78 in the opposite direction. An angular member 82 defining a slot 84 at one end is fastened to the other end of link 78 by a pin 86 that engages in slot 84. The other end of said angular member is flexibly attached to the end of a piston 88 that is slidably mounted on said stator and engages in the end of the fuel nozzle 64 and forces an amount of fuel proportional to the length of the piston stroke from a branch of the fuel line 60 for the subject combustion chamber. Thus when rod 68 is moved outward against its spring bias (FIG. 5) by the cooperation of the cam roller 70 and the cam surface 54, the slotted end of strap 72 is raised, pivoting about the yoke fulcrum 80 to move inward the rigid link 78 and the pin attached slotted end of angular member 82, the other end of which advances the piston 66. By slidably adjusting the fulcrum yoke 80 on the strap by means of the tab 63 (FIG. 11), the piston stroke can be increased or decreased to increase or decrease the fuel to the combustion chamber and hence to change the speed of the rotor accordingly.

The ignition system 58 comprises the roller cam 52 fixed to the end of crank 92 that is mounted to rotate a few degrees of are on the stator on the opposite side of the combustion chamber from the fuel system 56. An arm 94 is fixed by an end to the crank 92 and rotatable therewith to .raise and lower its other end 96 which is spring-biased downward and on which is mounted a contact 98 on its under side. A cooperating contact 100 is mounted directly under contact 98 and is connected to a high-voltage source of direct current electricity. A spark plug 102 is mounted in the combustion chamber opposite the fuel nozzle and is connected to contact 98. When the cam roller 52 enters the channel 50 in the rotor, the crank 92 and attached arm 93 is rotated downward to close the contacts and cause the spark plug to ignite the fuel in the combustion chamber. When the cam roller 52 rises out of the channel 50 and raised the contact end of arm 93, the contacts 98 and 100 are broken (FIGS. 6, 7).

The cam surface 54 and the cam channel 50 are arranged on the stator on opposite sides of each combustion chamber and in cooperation with their respective roller cams 30 and 32 inject fuel into said chamber after the compression vanes are just clearing the far end of said chamber, and close said ignition contacts just as the first driving blade moves past the near end of said chamber. The forces of combustion act on the driving blades to drive the rotor in rotation.

Referring to FIG. 3 each of the four combustion chambers are shown in relative stages, each stage succeeding the one ahead of it as the rotor moves in clockwise rotation. Thus in chamber 22, compression has been completed, fuel injection and combustion is about to begin as the first driving blade moves past the near edge of the chamber. In the following chamber 23, compression has begun. In the next chamber 24 combustion is about to end and the chamber is about to be scavenged by the concerted action of the last driving blade and first air compression vane. In the chamber 25, combustion is about complete and the rotor is being turned by the effects of the combustion on the driving blades that are almost in complete congruence with the chamber.

What is claimed is:

1. An internal combustion gas turbine comprising: an annular stator with at least oneperipheral combustion chamber opening interiorly; a rotor mounted for rotation in the stator and having at least one set of driving blades mounted peripherally and extending interiorly and opposite to the direction of rotation and adapted to periodically rotate into congruence with said combustion chamber; a web radially dividing said rotor; at least one set of air compression vanes mounted peripherally in said rotor on one side of said web and extending interiorly and being staggered peripherally and oppositely disposed from said driving blades on the other side of said web, said peripheral stagger being in the direction of rotation and establishing the time and extent of compression; fuel injection means mounted on said stator for injecting fuel in said combustion chamber following air compression; ignition means mounted on said stator for igniting said injected fuel when said driving blades begin congruence with the interior opening of said combustion chamber, said rotor being driven in rotation by the products of combustion produced periodi cally in said stator combustion chamber impinging on and exhausting from said rotor driving blades; and actuating means on said rotor for actuating said fuel injection means and said ignition means respectively. 

1. An internal combustion gas turbine comprising: an annular stator with at least one peripheral combustion chamber opening interiorly; a rotor mounted for rotation in the stator and having at least one set of driving blades mounted peripherally and extending interiorly and opposite to the direcTion of rotation and adapted to periodically rotate into congruence with said combustion chamber; a web radially dividing said rotor; at least one set of air compression vanes mounted peripherally in said rotor on one side of said web and extending interiorly and being staggered peripherally and oppositely disposed from said driving blades on the other side of said web, said peripheral stagger being in the direction of rotation and establishing the time and extent of compression; fuel injection means mounted on said stator for injecting fuel in said combustion chamber following air compression; ignition means mounted on said stator for igniting said injected fuel when said driving blades begin congruence with the interior opening of said combustion chamber, said rotor being driven in rotation by the products of combustion produced periodically in said stator combustion chamber impinging on and exhausting from said rotor driving blades; and actuating means on said rotor for actuating said fuel injection means and said ignition means respectively. 